As a sophomore in college, the one of the thing I notice the most about my peers is their inability to craft a strong paper.  At first, I thought this was because they just did not care about their freshman comp classes. As I moved into more specialized classes, however, I realize that it was not that they did not care, but that I had such great teaching and training in my high school writing courses.  My high school classes have given me a leg up in composition that carries over, not only to my liberal arts classes, but also into my engineering classes.

As an engineering/pre-medical student, my professors drill into my peers and myself how important writing is.  Without exceptional writing, engineers cannot inform their employers, clients, or each other.  Without exquisite writing, doctors cannot teach their peers about new diseases and treatments that are being discovered everyday.

To sum up, writing classes are important. Incredibly important.  If anything, we should strengthen our writing programs so that even more college students have the same leg up I had.

Nick Jenkins

Tupelo High School, Class of 2010